Communications biology

Endometriosis (EMS) is a chronic estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease. Although several studies have suggested a key role for estrogen receptor ERβ in EMS lesion development, its detection has been challenged by the lack of specificity o…

Endometrial receptivity is essential for implantation and pregnancy, yet the role of the m6A demethylase FTO remains unclear. We examined epithelial Fto and Wnt signaling during the implantation window using CRISPR/Cas9 Fto knockout mice an…

Decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) is one of the critical steps in the establishment of human pregnancy. Nevertheless, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying human decidualization. In this study, w…

Postpartum endometrial re-epithelialization is vital for uterine homeostasis and fertility, but mechanisms of this process are poorly understood. Using lineage-tracing mice and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, we detail the process of mesench…

Accurate interpretation of genomic variants remains a major bottleneck in precision oncology, due in part to fragmented knowledge across databases and limited integration between clinical evidence and population-scale genomic datasets. Here…

Pregnant women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) have an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), potentially linked to altered immune regulation, but the underlying circulating immune features remain unclear. …

Endometriosis is a highly prevalent and often painful gynecological condition that can emerge in adolescence and can be experienced throughout a person's lifetime. This cross-sectional investigation performed structural brain imaging and a …

Modern humans and archaic hominins, namely Denisovans and Neanderthals, have a long history of admixture. Some of these admixture events have allowed modern humans to adapt to new environments outside of Africa. Little research has been don…

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) genetics research has been focused on germline or somatic mutations independently. Emerging evidence suggests that the somatic mutational landscape can be shaped by the germline genetic background. In this st…

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) represents a rare and aggressive subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer with distinctive clinical and molecular characteristics. However, the identification, origin, and molecular features of the malignant …

The regulatory mechanism between N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation and histone modification in endometrial receptivity remains poorly understood. In this study, we depict that RIF induced m6A and Mettl3 level restrain, affecting H3K2…

The reprogrammed osteogenic phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is considered a critical mechanism of vascular calcification (VC) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently, the RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is dec…

Primary cilia are antenna-like organelles that sense extracellular signals and function as signaling hubs essential for vertebrate development and homeostasis. Decidualization is crucial for pregnancy establishment and maintenance in both h…

Intrauterine adhesions (IUA), characterized by endometrial fibrosis, pose a serious threat to women's reproductive health, yet their molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profi…

The fallopian tube (FT) plays a crucial role in fertility, gynecological health, and high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) development. Despite its importance, the spatial transcriptome of the FT's distinct anatomical regions (fimbria, i…

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), particularly TLR2 and TLR4, are critical components of the innate immune system that play significant roles in reproductive biology beyond their well-established functions in immune defense. These receptors recog…

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing, and remitting disease characterized by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of IBD remain elusive. Although ELF-1 has been known to…

Non-obstructive azoospermia, a severe form of male infertility caused by spermatogenic failure (SPGF), has a largely unknown genetic basis across ancestries. To our knowledge, this is the first trans-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide asso…

Some patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) suffered from metabolic syndrome (MetS) including dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinism, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Although C-terminal Binding Protein 1 (CTBP1) is a transcription…

Current therapeutics of endometriosis focus on hormonal disruption of endometriotic lesions (ectopic endometrium, EcE). Recent findings show higher glycolysis utilization in EcE, suggesting non-hormonal strategy for disease treatment that a…

Endometriosis is linked to increased infertility and pregnancy complications due to defective endometrial decidualization. We hypothesized that identification of altered signaling pathways during decidualization could identify the underlyin…

Age at menarche (AAM) and age at natural menopause (ANM) are highly heritable traits and have been linked to various health outcomes. We aimed to identify circulating proteins associated with altered ANM and AAM using an unbiased two-sample…

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is characterized by endometrial fibrosis. S100A8/A9 plays an important role in inflammation and fibroblast activation. However, the role of S100A8/A9 in IUA remains unclear. In this study, we collect normal and I…

LncRNAs are highly implicated in oxidative stress (OS) during the growth of mammalian follicles. TAK1 binding protein 2 gene (TAB2) has been suggested to involve in the normal apoptosis and proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs), the main s…

Mammalian reproduction relies on precise maternal-fetal communication, wherein immune modifications foster tolerance toward the semi-allogeneic embryo. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and microvesicles, have emerged as cruc…